Such a device has been known from, e.g., DE 27 01 984 A1. In this device, the coupling shaft is supported both against the tensile and impact forces in the direction of its axis and in the vertical direction in relation to the rail-borne vehicle. The device also has a housing, which is open toward the central buffer coupling, whose axis extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and into which the coupling shaft extends coaxially at a radially spaced location from the inner circumferential surface of the housing. Pretensioned, elastic rings made of an elastic material are provided between the circumferential surfaces of the coupling shaft and the inner circumferential surfaces of the housing. The rings are aligned vertically with their center planes and are arranged at mutually spaced locations in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The rings are held in the intermediate spaces between two adjacent, circular annular rings on the circumferential surface of the coupling shaft as well as on the inner circumferential surface of the housing in relation to the coupling shaft and the housing. The housing and the coupling shaft as well as the rings have an elongated round cross section, whose greatest diameter is located in the horizontal center plane of the housing and of the coupling shaft. The housing is divided in its horizontal center plane into two half shells, which are connected to one another by means of detachable fastening means. The rings are slit in the horizontal center plane of the housing at least on one side, and each ring is in contact with both the circumferential surface of the coupling shaft and the inner circumferential surface of the housing. In the unloaded state of the device, i.e., when no tensile or impact forces act on the device, the annular rings of the coupling shaft are flush with the associated annular rings of the housing.
In this device of this class, it is difficult to impose a specific, reproducible pretension in terms of amount and direction to the spring apparatus.